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iPhone 4 Facetime works from India to USA and also within India

on July 16, 2010 – 6:41 am28 Comments

The Facetime feature on the new iPhone 4 is not restricted to any market like USA or UK like we anticipated. We heard previous reports that Facetime works only on AT&T USA and an Apple Rep confirmed this on our call to the Apple Facetime hotline. Now I had the chance to have a Facetime call between India and USA thanks to our good friend Sloan Bowman

The good part first. I just dialed Sloan’s mobile number and as soon as we got connected , the Facetime option showed up on the screen. We had a live video chat for about a minute with no major hiccups thanks to WiFi. The Audio and Video quality was pretty good and the entire experience was actually pretty cool. I could even see that Sloan was wearing a Nokia T-shirt and he could see me wearing a Porsche cap.

Now the bad part is that I had to pay for the ISD call originating from India to USA which is a bomb. So I decided to see how it would work within India.

Facetime works inside India. Folks from NDTV called me from another iPhone 4 in Delhi and guess what you can see the Facetime call in action on this week’s CellGuru on Saturday 10.30 pm on NDTV 24×7 and 2:30 pm on NDTV Profit

So imagine if the new iPod touch and iPads got Facetime, You can actually have live video chats without the need for a PC  and Webcam.

Apple was not the first to invent Video calling. You must have tried Video calls ages ago on 3G networks or using apps such as Skype , Fring. But Facetime adds a whole new dimension to Video calling. Nokia phones have had front facing cameras for ages but how many of those users have actually used the front facing camera for video calls ?  Nokia phones could not perform video calls over WiFi like Facetime does. (N900 is an exception) Will the Facetime feature from Apple force Nokia and the competition to offer a similar service to Nokia users ? That would be interesting to watch !

How many of you like the Facetime feature of the iPhone 4 and are looking forward to seeing it on iPods and other Apple devices ?

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Varun Krish is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast and has been blogging about mobile phones since 2005. His current phones include the Nokia Lumia 800 and Apple iPhone 4S. You can follow him on Twitter @varunkrish and on Google+ You can also mail Varun Krish

  • Roy Miller

    guys!! why so upbeat about a video call feature that works merely on WiFi networks presently.
    Companies like Nokia have provided video calling over 3G networks for over 5 years now, its not a big deal.
    Just cuz its apple, its overhyped-overpriced…
    The only good thing about apple iphone has been the screen, before and now.
    OS isn’t that great, app store is okay but nothing out of the box. We already had that on Symbian S60 platform but not as organised as in Apple, and thats mainly due to Apple’s restrictions on software sales for iphone.

    Maybe if you guys really like cool gadgets, how about N900, HTC desire, nexus one, mot. droid? and the X8 coming this fall??

    • http://www.fonearena.com Varun Krish

      You pay for video calls over 3G networks . Since this is over WiFi , it is free for the Facetime call according to Apple. We love the N900 , N1 as well :D

  • Jay D Lam

    I disagree with your comment: Nokia phones could not perform video calls over WiFi like Facetime does. I am not trying to bash iPhone 4. I don’t know how Facetime performs video calls but I have made skype to skype video calls over wifi on Nokia N900. I understand that Facetime uses a different approach to connect, I even have the option to just initiate a skype video call without having to dial their mobile number first.

    • http://www.fonearena.com Varun Krish

      Nokia N900 is a great device and one of the best from Nokia. Video calls work over Skype and Google Talk on N900 I guess , which is cool. Also Facetime is only iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 but N900 can handle skype to PC also. It’s a bit early to pass a judgment on Facetime but its certainly something cool. Sadly Nokia removed Skype on N900 in India due to regulatory issues .

      I’m tempted to do a Facetime vs Nokia N900 video calling post thanks to you !

      • Pratik Agarwal

        Hi varun,
        Thanks a lot for confirming that facetime works in India. Big relief. I couldn’t find though which carrier are you using. I’m using it on MTNL but unfortunately my facetime still says,” waiting for activation” . I think the problem is that my carrier is still 7.0 and not 7.2 (in About>Carrier). Can you please let know how you fixed it?

        Thanks

        • Ajit

          Pratik,
          Have you got the solution for facetime for your Iphone 4. Can we start facetime in india on jailbreaked I-4. I tried My3G, Hectivator & mimobile. but i am unable to start. if u started please write me how can i. my email id ajitch_2511@yahoo.co.in, skype id- lionajit fring id- lionajit & cell no 9993241351

  • Angad Singh

    NOKIA SUCKS!!! bigtime!!!

    • pranav

      i agree wid u buddy

  • A. Nonymous

    I tried video calling via Skype a week ago for the first time. I love my N900! It’ll never have mass appeal, but I believe it’s the best overall device on the market.

  • Nikhil Joshi

    Hi i am nikhil joshi from mumbai
    i am not able to activate facetime call. it just tells me waiting for activation. can u pls help me on how u guys got it activated

    • Pratik Agarwal

      Hey Nikhil,
      Same problem, please post a response if you get it to work.

      Thanks

    • mayank

      nikhil r u have iphone4,coz i have a iphone4 nd i want to try it’s facetime(rqrd wifi&iphone4).

  • Nikhil Joshi

    no not getting it to work. waiting for activation . look at this pic for more info http://yfrog.com/n0photowfj

    i dont know if it will work will factory unlockd phones or issues is with locked phones or both the version of phones. i think it gotta do with carrier and if carrier provides an update people who are on locked phones and have unlocked it wont be able to get the carrier update

  • Nikhil Joshi

    for those of you who are not able to enter their number in my number coloum, pls switch on air plane mode on and turn it off, then u will be able to enter. but still activation problem is there after entering the nuber

  • Nikhil Joshi

    are u people to use the internet on a locked phone which is unlocked. i am not able to

  • Karan

    Varun,

    I have ordered factory unlocked iphone 4 from singapore. its on its way to India. It’s a box packed piece. Can you please help me out with couple of things.

    1. Can i activate the phone via itunes with Airtel?
    2. Can i use/activate facetime without jailbreaking it. Considering, it might be on the new iOS 4.02?

    u guys used the facetime on factory unlocked or Jailbroken phones ?

    It would be great, if you can reply.

    • http://www.fonearena.com Varun Krish

      The iPhone 4 we tried was a UK variant with iOS 4. It was a factory unlocked unit. You can use facetime and any SIM on factory unlocked phones.

      • Austin

        Hi,

        Is it safe/reliable buying an Iphone 4 online which is shipped from singapore/UK? Does it reach our place?

        As Iphone 4 has got micro sim cards, will the unlocked phone work in india as we have only mini sim cards?

        Kindly let me know ur comments,

        Thanks.

  • BDash

    Hi,
    I have got my unlocked ip4 from Singapore and using BSNL CellOne 3G, everything working FaceTime. Please help

    • BDash

      I mean to say everything working except FaceTime. I would like to know if anyone is able to activate Facetime using BSNL CellOne SIM.

  • Vicky

    FaceTime does not work with bsnl and Mtnl.. But will work on vodafone… Also u need to have os 4.1 and preferably factory unlocked phone… I have 4 iPhone 4 in my house and tried facetime with different operators…

    • Sam

      Hi,

      Vicky i have a iPhone 4 factory unlocked from sg …..
      Using it with reliance GSM but facetime says waiting for activation ……..

      Which operators have you tried on which facetime activates ???

      Airtel / Vodafone / Reliance ????

      Also , does the activation send an intrnl. sms on vodafone also , nd does it charge you for d sms ??

      Reply ………

  • Ajit

    I have activated Facetime on my apple Iphone4 on Airtel & Cellone(BSNL & MTNL) network, its works over wifi, after some effort it can be work over 3G i have taken trial. if someone need help.Feelfree to contact me on Facebook Ajit Chauhan Raigarh or skype lionajit

    • Sam

      Does it work and activate over airtel instantly ??

      Soes it charge u fr intrnl. sms for activating facetime ??

      Reply……

  • Fahad Malik

    Yes FaceTime work with Airtel. Fahad Malik from Kanpur. I bought it from HK. It’s factory unlocked. It’s good to use iPhone 4 with Airtel. I have many accessories of iPhone 4 and 3GS and 3G. I love Apple Products.

  • coolguy9346

    HI ajit how did u activate facetime on bsnl 3g

  • Sree

    hi guys

    I’m Sreedhar from Chennai,India.

    M planning to buy IPHONE 4 from 1 of these places 1.US,2.UK,3.SINGAPORE.

    From which place i should buy to use it in Chennai-(India).

    Is it possible to buy without contract & unlocked.If unlock r jailbreak needed where should i find to go for it in India.

    If unlock is possible in India, Will it works fine.Sorry guys i’m so naive about this iphone 4

    And how much it’ll cost in Singapore.

    PLS HELP ME.

    SREEDHAR.

  • John

    Hi,

    I am planning for IPAD2 and I was told that facetime in IPAD2 doesn’t work in India? Is this true. How do I do a video calling using IPAD2?

    Thanks.
    John